Automated conveyor cleaning system

ABSTRACT

An automated cleaning system for an endless belt conveyor. The cleaning system having a central control which controls pump supplying hot water, soap and a sanitizer to a plurality of controllable spray valves for plural spray bars.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Division of Application Ser. No. 09/501,409, filedon Feb. 10, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,874.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to automated cleaning systems and moreparticularly to such a cleaning system for conveyors and conveyor beltssuch as those used in food processing plants.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Meat processing and other food packaging plants have a multitude ofconveyor systems that must be cleaned at least nightly in accordancewith government regulations. In the past, workers have brought cartsonto the plant floor with long hoses to clean the conveyors manually.The process consisted of 1) rinsing the conveyors with high pressure hotwater (˜140° F. @ 250 psi); 2) covering the conveyor with an industrialstrength soap solution; 3) repeating the high pressure hot water rinseto clear off the soap; 4) lifting the belts out of the conveyors so theaprons surrounding the conveyors and the belt guides underneath can becleaned; 5) repeating the high pressure hot water rinse to clear off anydebris removed from the aprons or guides; 6) spraying a sanitizingsolution on the conveyor.

Due to the stringent government regulations, this process is relativelystandard in the food processing industry, although some variations mayexist. The manual process does have several limitations, most obvious ofwhich is amount of labor and time required for the process. The laborand time required to clean all of the conveyors in a single foodprocessing plant will vary greatly depending on the number and length ofthe conveyors in the plant, but a typical plant is generally cleanedonce per day.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the objects listed above, the present invention is anautomated conveyor cleaning system that performs most of theconventional conveyor cleaning steps without significant userintervention. The system involves outfitting the food processing plantwith centralized high-pressure pumps, a chemical integration platform(“CIP”), and a plurality of strategically placed nozzle spray bars. Thehigh-pressure pump allows for the rinse cycles to be performed atpressures higher than those used with a manual system.

The steps of the present invention are similar to those outlined abovefor a conventional system. The belts are first subjected to ahigh-pressure hot water rinse sent through the spray bars and nozzles bythe central pumps. The same spray bars and nozzles are then used to coatthe belts with detergent foam, after which the rinsing step is repeated.At this step the automated portion of the system pauses, so that thebelts can be lifted out for cleaning underneath the belts and theconveyor aprons that surround the belts. To further aid the system,special lifters are used with certain types of conveyor belts to liftthe belts out of the conveyor.

Once the side aprons are cleaned and the belts are returned to theiroperating location, the automated process continues with a high-pressurererinsing to remove any debris left during the cleaning of the aprons orother manual cleaning. The spray bars then coat the belt with alow-pressure spray of sanitizing solution, which Is allowed to dry Inplace. Preferably the spray bars are then purged with pressurized air toremove any excess sanitizer in the spray bars.

Programmable logic controllers (“PLCs”) are used with the CIP, with theinlet valves of the spray bars, and with the high-pressure pumps. Theconveyors (that have some common properties) are grouped together andeach such group is controlled by a PLC. For each plant there could bemany such groups called zones. The PLCs are all networked, possibly by aproprietary fiber optic system or wireless Ethernet and are in turnnetworked with a supervisory control system (typically run on an NT PC).This allows for logging of the various parameters used for cleaning(i.e. temperatures, pressure, time) and the amount of water or chemicalsused.

The system can also easily change the dilution rate for the chemicals(stored in bulk) at the CIP. The CIP will typically have three bulkchemicals connected thereto: an industrial soap, and two types ofsanitizers (the sanitizers are alternated based on the bacteria type andits resistance to the sanitizer), and is capable of supplying thediluted chemicals to the entire plant. The operation of thehigh-pressure pumps is preferably driven, by variable frequency drives(“VFD”) and controlled by one of the PLCs mentioned above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above-identified features, advantages,and objects of the present invention are attained and can be understoodin detail, a more particular description of the invention, brieflysummarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiment thereofwhich is illustrated in the appended drawings.

It is noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only atypical embodiment of this invention and is therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments. Reference the appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the central facilities used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a typical manifold station used in thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a spray bar used in the present invention,showing its relation to a conveyor belt;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the spray bar shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of an alternate spray bar used in the presentinvention, showing its relation to a conveyor belt;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the spray bar shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a close-up side view of nozzles on a secondary spray bar foruse with cleated conveyor belts in the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of belt lifters in a resting state for usewith the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the belt lifters shown in FIG. 8 in anextended state;

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the belt lifters shown in FIG. 9 inoperation in relation to a conveyor system; and

FIG. 11 is a system block diagram showing the SCADA and its connectionto the system PLCs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1 the central facilities 10 of the present systemare shown in schematic form. The central facilities 10 supply thenecessary resources to an entire food processing plant for the presentsystem to function, although it is conceivable to maintain a second orsubsequent set of central facilities either as a redundant backup systemor to divide the plant into two sections, each set of central facilitiesmaintaining one section. It is preferable, however, to maintain only asingle set of central facilities 10 to retain simplicity, as the centralfacilities 10 can be expanded to increase capacity plant-wide.

The central facilities 10 comprise sources for each of the resourcesused by the system. Namely, there exists a hot water source 12, acompressed air source 14, and a plurality of bulk chemical sources 16,18, 20. It is possible to keep the resource sources in a differentphysical location from the remainder of the central facilities 10,although it is preferable to keep the bulk chemical sources 16, 18, 20nearby.

As described below, the typical bulk chemicals in the preferredembodiment will comprise an industrial strength detergent 16, and twosanitizers—one acidic 18 and one basic 20. The bulk chemical sources arein communication with a chemical integration platform (“CIP”) 22. TheCIP 22 comprises a conglomeration of pumps, a programmable logiccontroller (“PLC”) 23, instrumentation (i.e. sensors and meters), andstarters located typically on a single skid. The CIP 22 obtainsconcentrated chemical from the bulk sources 16, 18, 20, possibly withthe aid of transfer pumps 24. It also receives water from a cool watersource 26 to dilute with the concentrated chemical and keeps an amplesupply of each chemical prediluted in batch tanks 28. The PLC 23monitors the level of diluted chemical in the batch tanks 28 and dilutesmore as needed. The CIP 22 also contains the pumps to pump the dilutedchemical from the batch tanks 28 to the remainder of the plant throughthe output lines 30, 32, 34. In the prior art manual cleaning method,these chemicals would have to be manually prediluted and transported inthe batch tanks to the various conveyor systems.

Also located in the central facilities 10 are high-pressure pumps 36 forthe hot water supply 12. Space may be reserved in the central facilitiesfor additional pumps, in the event, for example, that plant capacity isexpanded. In a similar manner, the types and quantities of chemicals mayalso be expanded. FIG. 1 shows an example of central facilities 10having two pumps 36 and space reserved 38 for one additional pump 36 inthe event of future expansion. Like the CIP 22, the hot water pumps 36will have a PLC 37 attached thereto controlling the pumps' operation.The water in the hot water supply 12 should preferably be between 100°F. and 180° F. and the pumps 36 should preferably maintain the plant'ssupply of hot water at least 300 psi. Current governmental regulationsrequire water temperature of less than 180° F. for safety reasons.Applicants have found that 140° F. is optimal, given currentregulations. However, should regulations change, hotter watertemperatures would be preferable and are within the scope of the presentinvention. Applicants have also found that 500 psi water pressure isoptimal for the present invention, however, higher pressures may beused. The pumps 36 supply hot water to the plant through the output line40, and should preferably use variable frequency drives (“VFD”). Thecentralized pumps 36 allow for significantly higher pressure water to beused than what is safely obtainable using a manual cleaning system.Furthermore, it is conceivable to have the pumps 36 pump cold water forrinsing during some stages of the cleaning process to save money andreduce condensation in the plant.

The compressed air is directed from its supply 14 straight to the outputline 42, and on to the remainder of the plant. A portion of this air,however, may possibly be diverted to the CIP 22 for its use and to aseparate output line 44 for instrumentation use.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a typical manifold station 46 for the preferredsystem is shown. A plurality of these manifold stations 46 are dispersedthroughout the plant. The manifold station 46 taps each of the supplylines 48, which run throughout the plant. There are typically six supplylines 48, one for each output line (30, 32, 34, 40, 42, 44) located atthe central facilities. Each manifold station 46 will typically havefour valves one for the hot water supply 50, and one for each of thethree diluted chemical types 52, 54, 56. The manifold station 46 shouldpreferably have a single manifold drain 58. Additionally, each manifoldstation will have backflow prevention (not shown) to protect the potablewater supply. Such backflow prevention is well-known in the art. Eachmanifold station 46 is controlled by a nearby PLC 47, although multiplemanifold stations 46 may be controlled by a single PLC 47. In thepreferred embodiment the plant is divided into a few separate zones,each manifold station belonging to exactly one zone, and each zonehaving exactly one PLC 47. This arrangement allows for the conveyors inone section of the plant to be cleaned while the remainder of the plantstays operational.

The PLC's 47 used to control the manifold stations 46, as well as thePLC 37 for the hot water pumps 36 and the PLC 23 for the CIP 22 can beany off-the-shelf type of PLC that is readily available. The inventorshave found that the Momentum™ available from the Modicon® Corporation ofAndover, Mass. is particularly suitable for the present invention. ThePLC's are all interconnected and in communication with a supervisorycontrol and data acquisition (SCADA) unit 94. The connection between thePLC's and the SCADA 94 may be made by any conventional networkingarchitecture, such as Modbus, Ethernet, or DeviceNet or any similarproprietary architecture. Each PLC preferably also has an operator panel96 connected thereto. FIG. 11 shows a typical system block diagram ofthe interconnection of the SCADA 94, the PLCs, and the operator panels96, connected with a ring network 98.

The SCADA 94 can take the form of a simple controller with inputmechanisms as simple as a touch keypad. The preferred embodiment of theSCADA 94 is, however, a computer workstation, such as one based on anIntel® architecture running Microsoft® Windows® NT/2000 and SCADAsoftware, such as that available from Intellution, Inc. of Norwood,Mass. The PLC's are programmed with logic controller software, such asProWorx NxT® available from Taylor Industrial Software of Edmonton, AB.The SCADA is responsible for sending control signals to the various PLCsas is described in further detail below. In case of a SCADA failure, thesystem may be operated directly from each PLC individually, for exampleby use of an operator panel 96.

Connected to each manifold station 46 is a plurality of spray bars 60,60 a. A typical spray bar 60 can be shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, or analternative embodiment 60 a is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The preferredspray bar 60, 60 a will have an upper 62, 62 a and lower leg 64, 64 a,each leg having a plurality of nozzles 66. The spray bars 60, 60 a arepreferably mounted to the underside of a conveyor system such that thelegs straddle the conveyor belt 68 as it moves in the inverted orunderside position (that is the carrying surface of the belt 68 is faceddown). This allows the spray bars 60, 60 a to be permanently mountedwithout obstructing flow of product on the belt 68. Each conveyor belt68 will have at least one spray bar 60, 60 a. Certain beltconfigurations, such as those with cleats 70, will have an additionalspray bar 72 designed specifically to clean the cleats 70. An example ofsuch a configuration is shown in FIG. 7. As can also be seen in FIG. 7,a guide 69 may be used to constrain the conveyor belt 68 duringspraying.

The nozzles 66 of the lower leg 64, 64 a of the spray bar 60, 60 a arepreferably angled against the direction of movement of the belt 68 tocreate a cutting effect with the hot water, however such angling is notrequired to practice the invention. If an angle is used, it will beslight, but the optimal angle will vary with the conveyor configuration.For example, a flattop belt may use an angle in the vicinity of 15° anda typical angle for a cleated belt may be in the vicinity of 35° (fromvertical). FIG. 7 shows the nozzles 66 configured to clean the cleats 70on the belts 68 so equipped. The angles of the nozzles 66 for cleaningthe cleats 70 are typically greater than the main lower nozzles 66, butthe angle will vary depending on the size of the cleat. When thesecondary spray bars 72 are used for cleated belts, they shouldpreferably be located near (between 2 and 3 feet) the primary spray bar60, 60 a.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show one embodiment of the spray bar 60. In thisembodiment a flexible hose 74 pending from the manifold station 46delivers whatever resource is provided there. The hose 74 leads into a“T” connector 76, which simultaneously supplies the upper and lower legs62, 64 of the spray bar 60. The upper leg 62 of the spray bar 60 ispassed through retainers 78 connected to the conveyor, one proximate tothe “T” connector 76 and one distal thereto.

An alternate spray bar 60 a is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In thisembodiment both legs 62 a, 64 a of the spray bar 60 a are connected by ahard pipe 65 to the inlet 67 of the spray bar 60 a. This provides a moredurable connection than the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. As canalso be seen in FIG. 6, both the lower and upper legs 62 a, 64 a of thespray bar 60 a are retained by the conveyor 80, both proximate anddistal to the spray bar inlet 67. It can also be seen from FIG. 5 thatthe lower leg 62 a of the spray bar 60 a is offset downstream (inrelation to the belt travel) from the upper leg 64 a. This allows thenozzles 66 on the upper leg 62 a to be aimed straight downward and thenozzles 66 on the lower leg 64 a to be angled as previously discussed,and still contact the belt 68 at the same point but on opposingsurfaces.

With most conveyors there will also be a belt lifting apparatus 82displayed in FIGS. 8-10. The belt lifting apparatus 82 is used in themajority of conveyors 80 except those without sufficient slack to belifted, such as metal belts. FIG. 8 shows the belt lifters 82 in theresting (or contracting) state, which is used during normal operationand during the automated phases of the cleaning cycle. The belt lifter82 comprises a pair of axles 84, 86, a pair of pivot arms 88 that rotateabout one axle 84, a pair of extenders 90 that rotate about the otheraxle 86, and a pair of rollers 92 located at the end of the pivot arms88 respectively. The extenders 90 are coupled respectively to the pivotarms 88, and are preferably pneumatically controlled, although ahydraulic or electrical arrangement would also be feasible. Depending onbelt width, the belt lifter 82 may comprise only a single pivot arm 88,extender 90, and roller 92 (for narrow belts) or more than two pivotarms 88, extenders 90, and rollers 92 (for wider belts). For safetyreasons, it is desirable to have the actuation of the extenders 90, andthereby the belt lifters 82, spread over several seconds.

During the manual cleaning phase of the present system (described inmore detail below) the extenders 90 are extended from their contractedresting state. This extended state is shown in FIG. 9. The extenders 90are noticeably closer in length to the pivot arms 88 when in theextended state than when in the resting state. Each belt 68 on whichbelt lifters 82 are used will have more than one belt lifter 82. Anexample belt 68 with the belt lifters 82 in the extended state is shownin FIG. 10. As readily seen from the drawings, the slack of the belt 68is taken up by the rollers 92 and the apron of the conveyor 80, as wellas other components normally hidden under the belt 68, are exposed formanual cleaning.

For safety reasons, it is not recommended to have the extenders 90activated by the SCADA unit 94, but this arrangement is possible. In thepreferred embodiment, the control for pneumatically activating theextenders is located in each zone at the operator panel 96.

The entire system has two modes of operation—sequential and automated.In a typical automated mode, an operator located at the SCADA unit 94indicates which zones are to be cleaned. The SCADA 94 sends a signal tothe PLC 37 for the hot water pumps 36 to start. Once the pumps arestarted, the SCADA 94 sends a signal to the PLC 47 for the manifoldstations 46 in the zone(s) to be cleaned to commence the initial phases.The initial phases consist of rinsing the belt 68 with the high-pressurehot water, covering the belt 68 with foam from a low pressure spray ofthe industrial detergent 16, and repeating the high-pressure rinsingphase to remove the foam. The PLC 47 for a zone to be cleaned receivesthose signals and opens the valves 50 for the hot water forpredetermined length of time, then closes the hot water valves 60 andopens the detergent valves 52. After another predetermined length oftime, the PLC 47 closes the detergent valves 52 and reopens the hotwater valves 50. Applicants recommend that the belts undergo between oneand four revolutions of the belt 68 during each spray cycle. The PLC 47may also open the valves in its zone sequentially so that only a portionof its spray bars 60 are active at any given time.

Once the initial phases are completed in the automated mode, it ispreferable for the operator to lock out the conveyors, so that theconveyor belts 68 in the zones being cleaned will not run, but it ispossible to operate the belt lifters 82 while the belts 68 are running.For belts 68 equipped with belt lifters 82, the belt lifters 82 areactivated lifting the slack in the belts 68 out of the conveyor 80.Certain types of belts 68, such as those made of metal, withoutsufficient slack, are left in place. Cleaning personnel then useconventional cleaning methods to manually clean components of theconveyor 80 other than the belt 68. This includes the conveyor apron andthe components under the belt 68 normally hidden from sight. This methodof lifting the belts 68 is unquestionably safer and quicker than theprior art method of using crowbars to pry the belts out of the conveyorsystem. In the case of belts 68 without sufficient slack for beltlifters, manually cleaning of the aprons is done with the belts inplace.

Once the manual cleaning phase is completed, the belt lifters 82 arereturned to their resting state and, if the belts 68 are locked, theoperator unlocks them. The operator indicates at the SCADA 94 that thefinal phases are to commence. The final phases consist of again rinsingthe belts 68 to remove any debris loosened during the manual phase and asanitizing phase. The rinsing phase is carried out identically to theprevious rinsing phases, whereby the zone PLC 47 opens the hot watervalves 50 at the manifold stations 46, either in unison or sequentially.The PLC 47 then closes the hot water valves 50 and opens the appropriatesanitizing valves 54, 56. The SCADA 94 will signal the PLCs 23, 47 whichsanitizer is to be used. The preferred embodiment is a system having twosanitizer types although more or fewer may be used. When two are usedone may be acidic 18 and the other may be basic 20. This rotation ofsanitizer type is intended to prevent the formation of resistant strainsof bacteria that adapt to one type of sanitizer, and is well-known inthe art. Optimally, a final step may be included, whereby after PLC 47closes the sanitizer valve 54, 56, it opens manifold drain 58 for aperiod of time to release any fluids trapped in the manifold station 46.The PLC 47 would then close the manifold drain 58 and purge the spraybars 60, 60 a with air from the compressed air source 14. The purgingprevents clogging of the nozzles 66 and prevents sanitizer from drippingon the belts 68 during operation.

The chemicals are preferably sprayed at a low pressure that ideallyranges from 5 to 100 psi. Applicants have found that approximately 15psi is optimal for the low-pressure sprays.

The entire time to complete cleaning in the automated mode is half thatof the conventional, prior art method. This time savings allows acleaning to be done in the middle of the day, between shifts forinstance. Furthermore, this invention allows a sanitizer (perhaps athird type thereof) to be continuously sprayed on the belts duringnormal operation. Additionally, because the present system requires onlya minimum of one revolution of each belt per cycle, as compared to fivein the prior art method, the present system uses significantly lesswater and chemical than the conventional method, even though the spraybars 60, 60 a may have a significantly higher water consumption ratethan the hoses used in the prior art manual method. Actual waterconsumption can of course be calculated by multiplying the consumptionrate per belt revolution by the number of revolutions.

In the alternative sequential mode, the operator instructs the SCADA 94to commence each phase individually (i.e., rinsing, covering,sanitizing). After each individual phase is completed the system pausesuntil the operator indicates that he or she wishes to proceed.

It is preferable following the sanitizing phase to purge the nozzles andspray bars of any remaining liquid. This is accomplished at thedirection of the SCADA 94 by the zone PLC's 47 using the compressed airsupply for the plant.

The present invention is suitable for retrofit on a wide variety ofconveyor systems. In particular, the present system seems well suitedfor the 100, 200, 300, 400, 800, 900, 1800, 2000, and 2200 seriesIntralox® acetal conveyor belts (flattop, nub top, and cleated) from theLaitram Corporation of New Orleans, La. It will also work with Volda andDiamond Back PVC conveyor belts, as well as polymer or steel slatconveyor belts and many other varieties. It is also possible to factoryinstall components for the present system in the conveyor system.

In practice, a quality control inspection is then performed to insurethat remaining level of bacteria on the conveyor equipment is withinsafe levels typically regulated by the government. If the bacterialevels exceed safe levels, the entire cleaning process must be repeatedfor that conveyor. Initial testing has shown that the present systemrequires recleaning 40% less often than the conventional, prior artmethod.

Optionally, the present system allows for logging of certain informationthat the prior art method cannot easily accommodate. For instance, theSCADA 94 can keep a log of how much water is consumed in the process, aswell as quantities for each of the chemicals, and other operatingparameters. Furthermore, for inspectors' use, it can record the watertemperature for each cleaning cycle and the type of sanitizer that wasused on a given day, etc.

While the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may bedevised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scopethereof is determined by the claims, which follow.

We claim:
 1. An automated cleaning system for a conveyor having a beltcomprising: a central control unit; at least one batch tank; a chemicalintegration platform operatively linked to and controllable by saidcontrol unit where said chemical integration platform is operable toselectively receive bulk chemicals and selectively dilute and causediluted chemicals to be selectively stored in said at least one batchtank; at least one manifold station operatively linked to andcontrollable by said control unit and where said manifold station is influid communication with said chemical integration platform and wheresaid manifold station is operable to control fluid flow from thechemical integration platform to at least one spray bar in fluidcommunication therewith; and at least one programmable logic controlleroperatively coupled to each of said chemical integration platform andsaid manifold station for controlling said manifold station and saidchemical integration platform operations and said programmable logiccontroller further operatively coupled to said central control unit. 2.The automated cleaning system for a conveyor having a belt as recited inclaim 1 where said spray bar further comprises: an inlet line in fluidcommunication with said manifold station; and an upper and lower legportion of the spray bar formed such that the upper and lower legportions are adapted to straddle a conveyor belt, where said inlet lineis operably connected to the upper and lower leg portions to channelfluid to the upper and lower leg portions.
 3. The automated cleaningsystem for a conveyor having a belt as recited in claim 2 where saidupper and lower leg portions have at least one nozzle angled such thatwhen installed on a conveyor the angle directs fluid exiting therefromagainst the direction of movement of the belt creating a cutting effect.4. The automated cleaning system for a conveyor having a belt as recitedin claim 3 where said upper and lower leg portions are offset such thatwhen installed on a conveyor the lower leg portion is offset downstreamfrom the upper leg portion in relation to the belt travel.
 5. Theautomated cleaning system for a conveyor having a belt as recited inclaim 3 where said upper and lower leg portions are offset such thatwhen installed on a conveyor the upper leg portion is offset downstreamfrom the lower leg portion in relation to the belt travel.
 6. Theautomated cleaning system for a conveyor belt as recited in claim 2further comprising: a conveyor, where said spray bar straddles the beltdisposed along the conveyors underside position.
 7. The automatedcleaning system for a conveyor belt as recited in claim 1 where said atleast one manifold station is a plurality of manifold stations dividingthe automated cleaning system into separate zones in a plant and wheresaid at least one programmable logic controller is a plurality ofprogrammable logic controllers where each of said plurality of manifoldstations is operatively coupled to and controlled by at least one ofsaid plurality of programmable logic controllers.
 8. The automatedcleaning system for a conveyor belt as recited in claim 1 where said atleast one manifold station is further in fluid communication with acleat cleaning spray bar having at least one nozzle obliquely angledsuch that when installed on the conveyor, the nozzle is angled inrelation to the conveyor belt where said oblique angle is optimized forcleat cleaning.
 9. The automated cleaning system for a conveyor belt asrecited in claim 1 further comprising: a belt lifter operable toselectively lift the upper portion of the belt from its normal operatingposition and operable to selectively return the upper portion of thebelt to its normal operating position where said belt lifter is operablylinked to and controlled by said central control unit.
 10. The automatedcleaning system for a conveyor belt as recited in claim 1 furthercomprising: a belt constrainer operable to selectively hold down thebelt during cleaning and said constrainer operably linked to andcontrolled by said central controller.
 11. A method of cleaning aconveyor, comprising the steps of: providing a central control unit;providing at least one batch tank; providing a chemical integrationplatform operatively linked to and controllable by said control unit andwhere said chemical integration platform is operable to selectivelyreceive bulk chemicals and selectively dilute and cause dilutedchemicals to be selectively stored in at least one batch tank and wherefluid from said chemical integration platform is adapted for rinsing andsanitizing and said chemical integration platform further operativelylinked to at least one spray bar having a plurality of nozzles directedtoward at least one side of the conveyor belt; rinsing the conveyor beltwith the spray bar using fluid retrieved from the at least one batchtank by the chemical integration platform responsive to an operatorinput at the control unit; lifting the upper portion of the belt fromits normal operating position with lifting arms operatively linked tosaid control unit such that components under the belt and apronssurrounding the belt are accessible; rinsing with fluid retrieved fromthe at least one batch tank by the chemical integration platform andcleaning components under the belt and aprons surrounding the beltmanually; and returning the upper portion of the conveyor belt to itsnormal operating position.
 12. The method of cleaning a conveyor asrecited in claim 11 further comprising the step of: providing at leastone programmable logic controller operatively linked between saidcontrol unit and said chemical integration platform and said at leastone spray bar.
 13. The method of cleaning a conveyor as recited in claim11 further comprising the step of: rinsing a plurality of conveyorcleats with a cleat cleaning spray bar with fluid retrieved from the atleast one batch tank by the chemical integration platform where saidcleat cleaning spray bar has at least one nozzle obliquely angled inrelation to the conveyor belt and where said oblique angle is optimizedfor cleat cleaning.
 14. The method of cleaning a conveyor as recited inclaim 11 further comprising the step of: purging the at least one spraybar and nozzles and all fluid communication lines between the chemicalintegration platform and the at least one spray bar.